The museum of ancient Greco-Roman art and its collections survived the January fires, but 1,300 damaged trees have been removed from the grounds. The Villa will reopen on June 27 — on a limited Friday-to-Monday schedule, reservations required — with North America’s first major exhibition of art from the Mycenaean civilization. - Los Angeles Magazine
“Storm King now boasts one of the world’s greatest collections of outdoor sculpture, with more than 100 works by 20th-century greats, but it has always lacked electricity, piped water, and most of the other hallmarks of civilisation.” Until now. - The Guardian
Museums and cultural centers are not just the setting, the battleground, as it were, for these cultural-cum-political fights; they are seen as part of the oppressive apparatus the protesters are attacking. - Sapir
The museum will be set in the Casa Roja, a private residence purchased by Kahlo’s parents and passed down through the family. While the Caza Azul focuses on Kahlo’s art and her relationship with husband Diego Rivera, the Casa Roja will concentrate on Kahlo’s early life. It will also include a gallery for contemporary art. - ARTnews
The houses had estimated $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion in sales for the week’s evening sales, but together brought in just over $1 billion, including buyer’s premiums, with each auction failing to reach its pre-sale estimate. - ARTnews
“A planned extension of the Guggenheim Museum into the Special Area of Conservation of the Biosphere Reserve risks undermining biodiversity, water quality, and the integrity of conservation frameworks,” a social media post explains of the situation. - ARTnews
“The life-size wall sculpture in Moscow’s Taganskaya metro station depicts Stalin standing on Moscow’s Red Square surrounded by a crowd of Soviet citizens looking at him in admiration, and is a recreation of a monument that was unveiled in the same station in 1950, three years before Stalin died.” - Reuters
“After three years of painstaking restoration work, the J. Paul Getty Museum is unveiling Hercules and Omphale, a long-lost Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1652) painting nearly destroyed in the explosions that struck the Lebanese capital of Beirut in August 2020.” - Artnet
Roberto Beltrami had traveled to Boston University to study, and in his sophomore year a Dale Chihuly exhibition awakened his fascination with glass, and he went to Murano, the famous glassmaking island in Venice, to apprentice. Now, with his own workshop at age 34, he’s introducing new, money-saving equipment and techniques. - CNN
“’It was like they almost took an MBA during COVID and worked out different ways of operating,’ (a spokesman said), describing criminals innovating and evolving ‘at a rate that we haven’t seen before,’ possibly spurred by restrictions on real-world travel and more people living their lives online.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
“The Fengyang Drum Tower — built in 1375 and used to announce the beginning of ceremonies and the time of day — is one of the largest such towers in China … (and) a major tourist attraction in Anhui province. … Hundreds of roof tiles began slipping from the roof and crashing to the ground.” - CNN
Aix is where Cézanne (1839-1906) was born and first put brush to palette. It’s where he painted many of his masterpieces, and it’s where he died. This year, from June to October, the city is honoring that legacy with a series of events. - The New York Times
Two people familiar with museum operations described the scene as shocking and chaotic on Thursday morning, when employees were summoned into morning meetings with human resources, informed that their jobs had been terminated and given until 2 p.m. to vacate the premises. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)
“Philadelphia’s long-sought shrine to sculptor Alexander Calder will open its doors to the public Sept. 21, officials announced Tuesday. ... The sculpture garden (will be) the first new major attraction (on) the Benjamin Franklin Parkway since the relocation of the Barnes Foundation in 2012.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
After the Whitney moved downtown in 2015, the Metropolitan Museum operated the building as the Met Breuer until the 2020 pandemic. Sotheby’s acquired 945 Madison Avenue in 2023 and brought on Herzog & de Meuron to renovate it. Both the exterior and the first floor’s interior have been landmarked. - The Architect’s Newspaper
